Bernie Vasquez, President of Polished Service and valued NHLA member, is our guest blogger this week. Bernie is sharing his thoughts on accelerating experiences and practices with rich, valuable feedback.
Now that many hotels, restaurants and spas have dipped their toe into reopening, I’m curious about how they feel about their efforts. The brainpower spent and expediency in which leaders have crafted new processes, and trained team members to execute them, is nothing short of impressive.
One of my favorite leaders recently opened his garden restaurant in the United Kingdom and the visuals were captivating. It pulled at my heartstrings and made me crave the spirit of travel in the fiercest of ways. The outdoor venue showed perfectly set tables decorated with luxurious centerpieces and candles. The setting looked enticing and perfect for a return to the living for traveling aficionados. I personally cannot wait to enjoy a whiskey and exquisite dinner in this spectacular setting once again.
After a successful re-opening comes a new need, evaluation. How are your staff performing? How confident are they in the execution of these new processes? Is there consistency amongst team members across shifts from day to day. You want this feedback, because this nourishes the confidence building interest and reveals opportunity gaps. Team members need feedback to grow. They hunger to know what they are doing well and are often appreciative of knowing when they fall below standard. There has never been a more relevant time to accentuate communication as we power through this recovery together. Team members are open to learning and coaching more than ever before.
Enjoying experiences through courageous practices
Next, how are your guests enjoying the new experience? This is equally important because guests are arriving, dining and pampering themselves with a variety of personal goals in mind. Some guests want to escape the reminder of the Pandemic, while others desire obvious visual cues about your heightened protocols. The key lies in striking the right balance when informing the guest about your new efforts, and I believe discreet discovery is the best option. Let the guest discover and be impressed about your new practices. They are noticing your enhanced attention and have thoughts about it. Are you inquiring? Are you capturing that valuable data to nurture your team and culture? Organizations grow their experiences with feedback, and I strongly encourage leaders to reach out and ask for it. I am confident guests would welcome the opportunity to thank you for making them feel safe and offer tips for improvement.
Mastering new procedures efficiently will come about faster the more feedback you receive from the persons enjoying your hotel, restaurant and spa. Further, team members can play a significant role in enriching guest experiences by recommending thoughtful, efficient and personal touch enhancing suggestions.
Capturing feedback does not have to be a sophisticated endeavor. Conduct a focus group, prepare a group of trusted advisors, encourage social media reviews and create structured feedback channels for guests and team members to make recommendations. You can also utilize experts to construct a comprehensive testing or successful capture program. Snapshot feedback, impression narratives and standards accomplishment reveal operational strengths and areas in need of development.
Leaders, thank you for your hard work, creativity and energy to rebuild our exciting industry. The reawakening is underway, and together we are going to bring back the fun in even more enjoyable and creative ways.
“If there is hope in the future, there is power in the present.” – John C. Maxwell